Chapter 1036

First Volume, Chapter 1036: The Great War Ends

The coup at the Beidi Imperial Palace did not last long and was of extremely low intensity.

Although Zhou Pu's OfficialRank was only middling to upper-tier, after the Commander of the Imperial Guard died and with Li Yu's support, Zhou Pu quickly seized full control of the Imperial Guard.

At Zhou Pu's command, the Imperial Guard launched a counterattack, sealing and surrounding both the Grand Hall and the Hou Gong.

The Beidi Emperor, hearing the dense footsteps and the clashing of armor and weapons outside the Di Tang, immediately understood what had happened—but he showed no panic or intention to resist.

The Beidi Emperor knew he had no power to change the situation; he could only drift like a solitary boat, yielding to Heaven's will.

When Li Yu and Zhou Pu jointly seized control of the entire palace, they immediately sent messengers out of the palace to contact Wu Fangxu.

The next morning, as dawn barely broke, Qin Feng was helping Li Yuxiao and Jing Qianying prepare washbasins, playing the role of a good man of Shedynasty, when Ning Hu's shout suddenly came from outside.

"Brother Qin! Come out quickly—the Imperial Guard has surrendered!"

Hearing this, Qin Feng instantly perked up, threw down the washbasin, and rushed to the front hall, where all his confidants were already gathered.

Ning Hu and Xu Mo were extremely excited; though they were military officers, they were genuinely delighted at the prospect of capturing the palace without a single drop of blood spilled.

Qin Feng quickly asked: "What's the current situation inside the palace?"

Li Zhang, who had already learned the details, could barely hide his excitement: "After Zishi Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour last night, Li Yu and Imperial Guard Deputy Commander Zhou Pu first killed the Commander of the Imperial Guard, then seized full control of the Imperial Guard—now the entire palace is firmly in Li Yu and Zhou Pu's hands."

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng did not rush to celebrate but pressed further: "Li Yu is cunning—does this surrender truly stand, or is it a Zha Xiang?"

Seeing Qin Feng's caution, Li Zhang understood that Qin Feng still deeply distrusted Li Yu in his heart—after all, this was the leader of the Night Owls!

Li Zhang shook his head, admitting he knew little about the actual situation inside the palace.

But he quickly added: "Regardless of what Li Yu and Zhou Pu intend, since they've decided to surrender, make them open the City Gate and first withdraw two-thirds of the Imperial Guard to lay down their arms, while the remaining Imperial Guard stay inside to guard the Beidi Emperor and his heirs."

"Then our army will enter the palace to take over."

"If Li Yu truly surrenders, he will agree to this demand; if he refuses, then we must consider this a Zha Xiang."

Qin Feng nodded, accepting all of Li Zhang's suggestions.

As the saying goes: never harbor ill intent toward others, but never lack vigilance against them.

Even if the overall situation is settled, if a group of Dead Soldiers still lurk within the palace and suddenly launch an attack when Qin Feng's army enters to take control, causing heavy casualties, this palace struggle would end far too anticlimactically.

Qin Feng and his close aides naturally would not rush into the palace; they would wait until the situation was fully under control and every inch of the palace had been thoroughly searched before entering with peace of mind.

Qin Feng immediately entrusted Li Zhang with full authority over the palace takeover—he only needed to wait with Jing Qianying outside the palace.

After finalizing the plan, Li Zhang turned and left; Qin Feng returned to the Back Courtyard and immediately told Jing Qianying the good news.

At this time, the women of the Back Courtyard had already risen; Jing Qianying, Li Xiaolan, and Shen Qingci had finished washing and were huddled together around a firepot for warmth.

Xiao Xiangxiang and Shu Feng were busy preparing breakfast.

"Qianying, good news! Tremendous good news! The palace has been preserved."

Hearing this, Jing Qianying's eyes brightened instantly: "Has the palace surrendered?"

Qin Feng nodded vigorously, sitting down between Jing Qianying and Li Xiaolan, excitedly saying: "Unless something unexpected happens, it's likely a surrender—now we just need to guard against Li Yu playing the Empty Fort Strategy."

"In the fastest case, two or three days; at the latest, four days—we'll enter the palace."

Upon hearing this good news, Jing Qianying's joy was visibly evident; she felt the heavy stone that had weighed on her heart finally drop away.

After so many years, this day had finally arrived.

Recalling the hardships she had endured and the care she had received from the Qin Family, the usually cold and solitary Jing Qianying could not help but feel her eyes grow moist.

Seeing this, Qin Feng immediately pulled Jing Qianying into his arms and softly comforted her: "It's over. Everything is over."

Watching Jing Qianying lean against Qin Feng, Shen Qingci and Li Xiaolan felt the same emotion; seeing how harmonious this family was, the two women could not help but smile with happiness.

Compared to Li Xiaolan and Jing Qianying, Shen Qingci thought of more.

She knew that Qin Feng would soon be overwhelmed with affairs, so she seized this chance to ask: "Feng'er, Hongyan and Yun'er are still waiting for you in Wang Du—when will we return?"

The implication of this remark was to hint that Qin Feng should not waste too much time in Beidi.

Qin Feng clearly understood Shen Qingci's concern—not only her, but even Li Xiaolan was eager to return home, she simply never mentioned it.

Qin Feng, while soothing Jing Qianying, softly explained: "Don't worry—we'll set out on our journey home within a month."

Hearing Qin Feng's crisp reply, Shen Qingci quietly exhaled in relief.

Li Xiaolan, however, frowned in confusion: "A month? Won't that be too rushed?"

"Power transitions are messy and full of trivial matters—it would take at least half a year to finish everything."

"Though everyone wants to return to Shedynasty as soon as possible, if we handle things carelessly and neglect essentials, won't we jeopardize the bigger picture?"

Qin Feng inwardly sighed—no wonder Li Xiaolan, though the third in the household, had the broadest perspective; she understood the importance of prioritizing tasks.

But Li Xiaolan's concern was entirely unnecessary.

If one truly wanted to settle Beidi properly, even two or three years would not be enough.

After all, this was an empire whose territory was significantly larger than Shedynasty's; the transition of governance, appointments of officials at all levels, and handling of People's Livelihood and military affairs would require a massive systemic overhaul—something no one or two people could accomplish alone, but rather demanded the entire imperial bureaucracy to act.

So Qin Feng's task was simply to help Jing Qianying consolidate imperial authority; everything else could proceed gradually.

"Xiaolan, we are outsiders by nature—Beidi's internal affairs must be handled by Beidi people themselves."

"As long as we help Qianying reclaim the throne and firmly secure her position despite opposition, our mission is complete."

"The simplest and most effective method now is military pressure."

"Changshui County and the Sangzhou Army are the Golden Sword hanging over Beidi's head—anyone who resists Jing Qianying will face thunderous suppression; Kindness and Authority Both Heavy—this authority is the first step."